


Puzzles and Riddles

by Selina_2000



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Batman R.I.P., Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Enemies to Friends, Friendship, Gen, Mentor/Sidekick, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26082736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selina_2000/pseuds/Selina_2000
Summary: I don't know how to write a summary for this since there isn't any plot. But basically Tim and Ed become friends.Set after Batman R.I.P.  and right after the beginning to Gotham City Sirens. You don't really need to have read those comics to understand this, as the relevant events are explained with in.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Edward Nygma
Comments: 2
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had writer's block so I wrote this short, fluffy and funny scene to try to help with it. It didn't work, I still don't know what to write for Room 93, but that's a problem for another day.

The tip of his sneakers made contact with the rock and it rolled forward, screeching as it dragged along the pavement. His blue eyes were cast downward, watching lazily as the stones moved with each and every one of his steps. His mind was farway, thoughts still trapped in the Batcave, his dismissal still echoing in his head. He clutched tighter to the handle of his briefcase, glad that at least he had been allowed to keep his suit. 

_ “ _ How could he?”, Tim wondered out loud, voice dripping with bitterness. He simply couldn’t understand: after everything, why had Dick chosen Damian as Robin? “Stupid… Little… Brat...”, he howled into the night, each word followed by an angry kick into a fallen trash can.

Tim looked around, but he didn’t recognize his surroundings. He had been walking for a long time but his feet didn’t hurt nor did he feel tired. If anything, he felt numb. Resentment stirred in his stomach. Resentment towards Dick, for abandoning him. Resentment towards Damian, for stealing his place. Resentment towards Bruce, for dying and leaving this mess behind.

Except that Bruce wasn’t dead. Tim knew that for sure. Somewhere, lost in space-time, his father waited. But nobody believed him. Dick said he was in denial. Damian said he was delusional. And he couldn’t do anything alone.

_ Alone. _ That’s what he was. Completely alone. He didn’t even have somewhere to go: he couldn’t bear being in the Manor right now. He considered going to Stephanie’s, but she had been so caught up with Cass lately and he didn’t want to worry her more.

And so, Tim found himself wandering the streets of Gotham in the middle of night, with nothing but his Robin outfit. An outfit he could no longer wear, as the title now belonged to someone else.

But while his mantle had been taken, he still had his training. And that was how he heard the rumbling of the motor before the vehicle came into view. Jumping into the shadows of the alley, he crouched behind paper boxes, squinting his eyes to watch as the car passed by, it’s headlights illuminating the path ahead. 

In the pool of light that formed, he saw the silhouette of the driver, the unmistakable cat ears crowned the woman’s head: Catwoman. Two other girls, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, sat in the backseat, the windows lowered and the wind whipping their hairs as they shouted.

“Eddie, come on!”, Harley called from the car. “Please come back. We miss you.”

“Don’t make this harder on you!” Ivy yelled from the other window, her tone harsh whereas Harley’s was sweet. 

Their voices faded as the car disappeared and Tim waited a few more seconds before coming out of his hiding spot. He heard a sigh and spun in his heels, scanning the alley for the source of the sound. With only the moon and stars to shed a light into the darkness, he had to use his ears as his guide.

He focused, closing his eyes and letting his training kick in. And there it was: a faint hustling coming from inside the large waste container. He quickly opened his case and pulled out the green domino mask and the yellow-and-black cloak, attaching it to his red hoodie and making a makeshift hero costume. It was the closest to  _ Robin _ he could get without actually suiting up as  _ Robin _ , which, as an angry voice in his brain reminded him, he couldn’t, as the title now belonged to the demon spawn. He inched closer to the container and carefully lifted it’s lid.

“Don’t hurt me!”, a man screamed from the inside. He was curled up, knees touching his chest and face buried into his palms.

It took Tim a couple of moments to recognize who it belonged to. “Riddler?!”

Ed Nygma raised his head, eyes snapping open at the sound of the boy’s voice. “Robin?”

Tim flinched as if he had been hit. “Not anymore,” he replied in a low whisper.

Ed shifted uncomfortable, he had never heard the Boy Wonder sounding so sad and broken. Not even after the most brutal battles. He stood up and climbed out of the container, landing awkwardly on the floor.

“I guess they are gone now”, he announced as he stretched his long limbs, which were beginning to tingle from staying so long in the same position.

“Why are you running from Catwoman?”, Tim asked, eyebrows frowning in curiosity. He hadn’t known of any animosity between them, at least not a recent one.

“I’m not hiding from Selina. No. Ivy’s the problem,” Ed clarified. “She invaded my apartment and kept me hostage for days! Those damned toxins turned me into a zombie.” he exclaimed, hands gesticulating in the wind for emphasis.

“Right. Sorry about that.” He really was. He knew how it felt to have one’s home invaded by an outsider. To have one’s belongings stolen. “Well, take care then.” Tim picked his briefcase from where he had dropped it and turned to leave.

He was almost out of the alley when Ed called. “Wait.” Tim sighed and turned to face him. “Aren’t you going to arrest me?”

Tim chuckled for the first time since Damian had shown up. “You want me to  _ arrest _ you? For what?”

Ed strode up to him in three large steps and grabbed Tim by the shoulder, giving him a desperated gaze. “Please. I can’t go home. And they took my money. At least jail will be a place to crash.”

Tim brushed Ed’s hold aside. “I can’t do that. I’m not Robin anymore.”

“What? How? Why?”, the questions rushed out of Ed’s mouth as his eyes widened in surprise. 

“Long story. But if it makes you feel any better, I also have nowhere to go,” Tim said truthfully.

There was a long silence before either of them spoke again.

“Maybe we could--”

“Do you want--”

They spoke at the same time, words stumbling upon each other before they broke into laughter.

“We should crash together. Just for tonight, you know? While we get things back together”, Tim suggested when he had calmed down again.

“It would be nice, indeed,” Ed agreed, tipping his green bowler hat.

“I guess we could go to one of Batman’s safehouses. Do you have a car?”

“No, but I know how to steal one.”

“We are not stealing a car.”

“Do you wanna walk?”

“Not really.”

“Then just stay back and watch,” Ed instructed as he kneeled beside an abandoned car and began to fumble with the lock. “Tcha-ram”, he said as the door clicked open and he climbed inside.

Tim rubbed the bridge of his nose, already starting to regret the invitation. “Oh, okay, it’s not like someone is going to miss this piece of junk anyways.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ed pulled the car to a stop in front of the old building. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes. I’ve memorized the map with the hideouts locations”, Tim stated as he opened the door and stepped outside, the cold air of the night greeting him.

The front entrance of the building was barred with a bricked door, but Tim knew where to press to make it budge, opening the way into an empty room.

“It must be around here”, he said as he tapped slightly on the floor tiles, trying to find the loose one.

“Maybe this one?”, Ed pointed near to where he stood. The tile had a lighter tone than the ones surrounding it and it slid gracefully along the floor when Tim prodded it with his foot, revealing a metal gate

The boy then kneeled to level his eye to the eye scanner attached to the gate. A red light shone, illuminating the room before a robotic voice welcomed him. “Robin. Access allowed.”

He once more grimmaced at the reminder of the title that no longer belonged to him, but didn’t complain as the gate moved aside and a stair appeared in the opening.

“Welcome to the Batcave number god-knows-which”, Tim announced when he and Ed reached the end of the staircase. Above them, the gate closed and the stairs retracted into the walls.

Ed was wide-eyed, green eyes sparkling as he took in the sight of the innumerous screens that covered one of the bunker’s walls. Two single beds laid on the other side, medical equipment right next to it, as well as a shelf with non perishable foods. A small arsenal of weapons rested inside a glass cabinet, including batarangs, grappling hooks, disruptive devices and repellents. 

“This is fantastic,” Ed exclaimed as he ran over to turn on the computer. The screens lit up to reveal CCTV access and a direct connection with the GCPD comms. 

Tim rushed to shove Ed away from the multi-million dollar monitoring net. “Don’t touch this. Or that”, he added before Ed could reach the weapons display.

Ed threw his hands in the air in surrender. “Fine, fine… Can I at least have something to eat? I’m starving.”

_ “Robin? Are you ready?” _ , Dick called from the computer, causing Tim to jump and run to open his microphone.

_ “I’m in position, Batman,” _ a voice replied before Tim had the chance.

Anger contorted his features as once more his dismissal was shoved into his face. He punched the keyboard, shattering the keys and sending small pieces of black plastic flying all over the place.

“So there’s a new Robin?” Ed asked as he chewed a chunk of dried meat, and Tim turned to find the older man standing right behind him. He had been too distracted to notice him creeping closer. 

“Yeah,” Tim nodded bitterly, shoving past the other and grabbing a granola bar from the stock of food. He took a bite and forced himself to swallow, despite the terrible taste of the snack. He pulled his cloak off, letting it fall to the ground, and slumped into bed.

Ed followed, sitting in the other bed. “How did you get fired?”

“I didn’t get fired. The little brat just stole my place!” He yelled in response.

“Somebody has anger issues…”

Tim shot him an angry look. “You would be too if a kid showed up out of nowhere and suddenly became Bruce’s favo--”, Tim stopped mid sentence, realizing the slip he had made. “I mean, became  _ Batman’s _ favorite.”

Ed waved a hand as if it was nothing. “Please, I’m not stupid. I know Batman is Bruce Wayne.” Tim’s jaw dropped at the revelation. “And before you ask, yes, I know you are Timothy Drake.”

“Wayne. It’s Tim Wayne,” he corrected. “Or at least I hope so. Who knows, maybe they will take that name from me too.”

“Complaining will get you nowhere.”

Tim jumped out of the bed and before he knew it, he had grabbed Ed’s lapel and was tugging him close. “Excuse me? Five minutes ago you were bitching about Ivy taking your stuff and now you are telling  _ me _ to stop complaining? I lost everything!”

His fist stopped inches aways of Ed’s face. Tim sighed, lowered his hand and shoved Ed backwards, causing him to land on the fluffy mattress.

Tim ran a hand over his hair and removed the mask, tossing it near the fallen cape. “Sorry. It’s not you that I’m angry at.”

Ed straightened his green suit and fixed his tie. “It’s fine. What I meant was that you were always more clever than your mentor. And if Batman doesn’t want you as a protegeè anymore, you should find someone who does. Someone who is at the same intellectual level as you.”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You want us to join forces?”

“Precisely!”, he replied, clapping his hand cheerfully. 

“You are a criminal”, Tim pointed out. “I’m a vigilante.”

“Well, yes. But I’m tired of a life of crime. I want to do something good, to help the society.”

“You mean you want to get revenge on Ivy.”

“Fine. Yes. I want her to pay. And her clown friend too. And maybe the cat lady.”

“Or we could, you know, investigate crimes. Be detectives,” Tim suggested. “Since we have these _ great minds _ of ours.”

“Private detectives!” Ed shouted, jumping up as the idea hit him. “Think about it. I can see our names in the door.  _ ‘Mr. Riddler and Mr.’...  _ Er… what you are going to call yourself.”

Tim thought for a moment. “Puzzler. The Riddler and the Puzzler.”


End file.
